New House

Well it's official, we have a new house. We offered at the end of October and closed the beginning of December. It was quite an adventure and one I'm glad we won't have to do again anytime soon. We love the house and are so happy.

We moved in about a week before a lot of travel, so we are just now getting unpacked and settled but it's all coming together. It's over 1000 sq. ft. bigger than our townhouse was and is on .25 of an acre which means Maddy and Bailey are ecstatic about all of the outdoor space. We are so glad it all worked out. Here are some of the listing photos. I'll share some more personalized ones once we finish unpacking and decorating.

Top 5 Things I Love About the New House
1. Separate family and living rooms which means Maddy's toys are contained and out of our main living space
2. Tons of cabinets and counter space in the kitchen
3. 2 1/2 bathrooms including our own master suite which means no more bath toys in our shower
4. Yard, yard, yard enough said
5. Quiet neighborhood with neighbors who bring you banana bread to welcome you to the neighborhood

Family Photos - 2014

We finally had family photos taken again which turned out to be really fun. Maddy's age made the task much easier because of her ability to follow directions and her "regular" smile has become much less cheesy and relaxed which was a bonus as well.

We did family photos with all three of us and then some of just Maddy. Our photographer had some awesome back drops which added alot to the photos.

Here are some of my favorites!

Day at the Park

Last weekend we had some surprisingly good weather and so we took advantage of it by going to the park. Blue skies, shorts and leaves were a fun combo! Maddy was even extra brave and tried out a new part of the play structure where she had to climb pretty high. She had a blast climbing over and over and then jumping off. We're pretty grateful for the amazing summer and fall we've had and know the rain is around the corner.

Haircut

Maddy got her haircut two weekends ago at a new place near our house. Since this was her third haircut she was a pro. She jumped right in the chair and was super chatty with the hair stylist. It's been much easier to manage her hair having it be a couple inches shorter which is much appreciated. She even got her hair blow dryed which she thought was super fun!

Happy Birthday Maddy

Today is Maddy's 3rd birthday. She's growing up so fast. I feel like I was just pregnant with her, waiting to meet her and get to know her and in reality she's been here for three years. She's amazing, truly the greatest blessing. She is opinionated and independent in the most awesome way. She knows what she wants and she goes after it. She's active and engaged and loves learning. She is constantly looking for new things to master and it's amazing to watch her brain work as she conquers new things. She loves hugs and snuggles and talks incessantly about her family and friends.

Our life has not been the same since she came into it. She has taught us so much in these three short years and we can't wait to see what the future brings with our family. We love you Maddy!

Here are some photos of Maddy over the years. Top left is her newborn photos when she was 10 days old. Top right is her first birthday photos. Bottom left is the summer before her second birthday. Bottom right is her school photos the summer before her third birthday. 

Swimming Lessons

Maddy has been taking swimming lessons since she was 6 months old and has always really enjoyed them. This past session we started a transitional class that helps the preschoolers get ready for classes on their own without Mom or Dad. We've been working with Teacher Tiffany who is amazing with the kids and really tailors the classes to their interests and developmental needs. The final two weeks of this session Teacher Tiffany suggested that the Moms and Dads stay in their regular clothes and sit on the bleachers instead of being in their suits, sitting on the side of the pool. Maddy did great with this transition and really enjoyed being a big kid. We'll have a few more weeks of swimming lessons like this and then we'll transition to a new class with just 3 kids and the teacher all on their own.

Maddy's 3rd Birthday Party

Yesterday we had Maddy's third birthday party at the Tacoma Children's Museum. We invited some of her friends from daycare and other family and friends. It was a great party. We had the party room at the museum for an hour and did snacks, birthday cupcakes, and presents. Then the whole group moved to the museum for playing. Everyone stayed and moved throughout the museum, sometimes playing all together, sometimes everyone on their own with their parents. The kid's had a blast and Maddy was SO excited to spend time with her friends throughout the day.

I'm so glad we did her party at the museum because it really cut down on some of the things that we're a little excessive when we did home parties the past two years (decorations and food especially). And this way I didn't have to come up with activities because the museum was the activity. Also, the staff at the museum helped with set-up and completely took care of clean up. They also helped us move all of the presents and leftovers to our car. It was so so so convenient and totally worth the cost. I would definitely do a party there again.

Fun in the party room! 

Playing in the Children's Museum!